Airship



INYNTOR:

CLAUDE H. Frzsasc,

2 Sheets$heet C. H. FREESE AIRSHIP Filed April 12, 1927 F I it;

June 25, 1929.

June 25, 1929 c. H. FREESE AIRSHIP Filed April 12, 192'? 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

CLAUDE H F'REEsE,

Patented June 25, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAUDE H. FREESE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH '10 '1. A. COLLINS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, AND ONE-FOUBTH '10 CARL A.

LU'NDBERG.

AIBSHIP.

Application filed April 12, 1927. Serial No. 183,115.

This invention relates to dirigible airships, in which planes serve as the principal lifting and carrying means of the airship while supporting facilities through gas are also embodied in this airship structure.

One of the objects of this invention is to stabilize a heavier-than-air dirigible by a proper distribution between planes and gascarrying facilities.

Another object is to assure a proper control of the airship whether the ship is in the air or on the water surface by providing cabins above a certain level and above a proportionally large portion of the gas-holding body of the ship.

Another object is to provide a deck, dividing the ship into lower and upper gas-holding compartments with controlling and passenger cabins above the deck.

Another object is to provide convex or unround sections below and above the deck.

Another object is to provide controlling facilities throughout the length of the ship by which the gas-carrying facilities below and above the deck can be controlled.

Another object is to provide a spine above and below the deck, braced and connected to the deck throughout the length of the ship, forming certain sections in which gas containers are enclosed.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. l is a top plan view of an airship with planes and controlling means designed according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the dividing deck, having the location of the main saloon and the passenger cabins indicated therein.

F i 4 is a general cross section through the divi ing deck with the lower and upper convex hull portions, and the cabins outlined therein.

' Fig. 5 is a general cross section through the deck with braces in end elevation disposed in their proper relation to the deck within the contours of the hull, the hull being shown in dotted lines. I

Fig. 6 is a general cross section through the deck with an end elevation of the gasto the dividing deck, having also indicated therein the controlling pipe lines and valves for the several gas-holding containers;

The airship is principally designed to assure a safe operation on the surface of the water in case it becomes necessary for the airship to descend to the water when crossing the ocean. To facilitate a proper operation on the ocean, the hull is designed to float on the water in a similar manner as any common ship with the lower portion of the whole ship, the airship in this case, submer ed in water.

A dividing deck is therefore provided above which all passenger and operating rooms are disposed. The whole structure is designed so that this dividing deck with the controlling and passenger rooms remain above the surface of the water and above the submerged portion of the airship. The airship is therefore also designed to maintain its proper equilibrium, the lower portion of the ship being therefore designed heavy enough in proportion to the upper portions to maintain the airship in a desired upright position when riding on the surface of the water.

The airship is also provided with suitable,

supporting gears, as wheels, by which the airship may ride over the surface of the ground. This arrangement facilitates a starting and rising of the airship from the ground as well as from the surface of the water.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the whole airship is divided into a lower port-ion 8 and an upper portion 9 by a horizontally disposed deck 10. The deck 10 extends throughout the length and width of the airship.

Below the deck a spine 11 is provided from the front to the rear end near the bottom of the ship. Anotherspine 12 is provided above the deck from the front to the rear end near the top of the ship. These spines are braced centrally to the deck as indicated at 13, and, furthermore, braced to points near the outer edges of the deck as indicated at 14 in Fig. 5. The lower hull portion 15 is connected to the spine 11 and to the outer edges of the deck.

A promenade deck or passage way 1s the forward part of the airship as illustrated in Fig. 3 in communication with a passage way 21 and with the several cabins 19 as illustrated in Fig. 4..

The upper hull portion 22 is connected with the upper spine 12 and extends to the edges of the cabins along the outer edges of the airship as illustrated in Fig. 4. 7

Within the contours of the airship, that is within the inclosures of the hull portions and within the spaces left between braces 13 and 14, gas-holding containers 23 are arranged above and below the dividing deck 10 as illus-- trated in Fig. 6.

The dividing deck is provided with control openings 25 through the larger portion of its length as illustrated in Fig. 3 to facilitate a control of the gas containers. A platform 24 is therefore provided in suitable relation to the control openings in the deck as illustrated in Fig. 7.

Main pipe lines 26 are provided throughout the length of the ship, having connections with control valves 27 at points to be reached from the platform 24. a

The supporting gear consisting of wheels 28 and other braces by which the wheels are .applied to the underside of the hull as illustrated in Fig. 2 serves to support the whole airship structure when resting on the ground.

Planes are disposed above and secured to the upper hull portion 22 and to the deck 10 by which the airship is largely raised into and maintained in the air. The planes are preferably-spaced at various distances above the upper hull portion 22, planes 29 being closer to the top of the hull than planes 29 as illustrated in Fig. 2 to increase the carrying and lifting capacity of the planes.

One motor 30 with the propeller 31 is provided at the front end of the airship while other motors and propellers are provided at various points along the sides of the airship.

.The motors 30, with the propellers 3,1 are preferably disposed at a certain angle in relatlon to the longitudinal axis of the airship different from the angle of the axis through the motors 30,, with the propellers 31,, on the opposite side of the airship.

Elevators 32 and a rudder 33 are provided at the tail end of the airship of any common design customary on this type of airships.

Havmg thus described my invention, I claim: i

1. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck, a hull portion below said deck, another hull portion above said deck, 'planes operatively connected to the airship above said deck, operating means mounted on the deck, and compartments for'passengers and the crew on the deck along the outer edge of said upper hull portion.

2. An airship comprising a centrall disposed deck, a spine extending from the front to the rear centrally above the deck, another spine extending from the front to the rear below the deck, a hull incasing said spine, planes above the deck, and propelling means above the deck.

3. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck, a spine extending from the front to the rear and above the deck, another spine extending from the front to the rear below the deck, bracing members connecting the spines to the deck, a hull incasing the spines and bracing members above and below the deck, planes mounted above the deck, and propelling means mounted above the deck.

4. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck, a spine extending from the front to the rear and above said deck, another spine extending from the front to the rear and below said deck, bracing members connecting the spine to the deck, a hull incasing said spines and bracing members, gas containers disposed Within the hull between the bracing members, planes mounted above the hull, and propelling means mounted above the deck.

5. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck, a hull made in sections below and above said deck, the upper section of the hull terminating short before the outer contours of the deck forming a promenade deck around the hull above the deck, planes mounted above 5 the hull, and propelling means mounted above the deck. I

6. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck, a hull made in sections disposed elow and above the deck, the upper hull section terminating short before the outer contours of and above the deck, cabins for passengers and crew within the upper hull section along the outer edges of the hull, planes mounted above the hull, and propelling means mounted above the deck.

7. An airship comprising a centrally disposed deck havmg control openings along its middle, a platform in certain relation to said 0 enings, a hull made in sections below and a ove said deck, as containers in the hull embodying contro ling means disposed to be reached through said openings from said platform, planes mounted above the hull, and propelling means mounted above the deck.

8. In an airship, a deck structure horizontally disposed with rooms for passengers and crew arranged along the edges of the deck interconnected by passage ways and with a saloon in the middle crosswise through the deck connecting the oppositely disposed rooms.

9. In an airship, a deck structure horizon tally disposed with rooms for passengers and crew arranged along the edges of the deck interconnected by passage ways and with a .5 saloon in the middle crosswise through the the oppositel dis osed deck connecting rooms, the sai.

rooms and sa oon eing 

